A lesson before dying

Grant's elderly aunt, Tante Lou, raised him for unknown reasons--his parents are alive but live far away in California. In her youth she worked as a cook for the Pichot family along with her best friend, Miss Emma, but now she stays home and works in her garden. Deeply religious, Tante Lou supports Jefferson and Miss Emma wholeheartedly, and she and Grant often bicker despite their love for each other. Gran't usually ends up doing what Tante Lou says. She is a mother and even an authority figure to Grant.